Caught I: Unexpected reunion
by Mireilles3
Summary: What if Vader captured Luke a year after the battle of Yavin 4? Drama, angst, adventure, family and friendships, R and R please! For the rest of this complete story, check my profile for info about where I have moved the rest of it.
1. Opportunities

Hello everyone :)

Well, ready or not, here it goes! While this first part will be rather familiar, don't think that this story will remain so till the end ;) It can turn many different ways depending on where a new twist appears.

But first, the introduction ;P

Caught

Part 1: Opportunity

By mireille 1998-2001-2009

_______________________________

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belongs to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

* * *

Almost a year had gone by since the destruction of the Death Star.

Almost a year, Luke Skywalker sighed forlornly as he absently looked at the worn wires of his w-xing's commboard.

He had gone in the hangar bay to try and fix a glitch that had been plaguing his fighter for weeks, but instead of focusing on his chosen task, his mind kept wandering - as it had been doing for the past ten days - to the events that had taken place above Yavin 4.

The blond youth sighed heavily, irritated by his inability to control his thoughts anymore.

Indeed, before those ten days, he hadn't had that problem and life had been a regular series of missions, friendly moments with his rebel companions, and clumsy attempts to improve his fledgling Jedi skills.

Then, the mission to Galador had happened - and his mind had begun to play tricks on him.

Giving up on his attempt to avoid dwelling in the past, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to remember that day.

While he had been waiting for their contact to show up, his eyes had stumbled on the imperial search warrant for the pilot who had destroyed the Death Star - also known as the Hero of Yavin 4 - and his world had turned upside down. Up to that day, he had thought that the Empire had given up on finding the as-of-yet nameless rebel hero who had greatly humiliated them, but he had been wrong.

Worse, his head was now worth three million credits.

More than enough money to make even his 'allies' consider handing him in, he had instantly surmised with an unpleasant shiver.

His only comfort upon seeing the warrant was that the enemy still had no name or holo of him or else those informations would have been part of the warrant.

"Thank the Force for that", he mumbled dejectedly, returning to the present moment in the rebel hangar bay.

He had enough worries about his 'allies' without also having to worry about the rest of the galaxy recognizing him.

"Hey Kid!!" Solo's voice called from behind a nearby y-wing fighter.

Luke looked up in slight surprise, and then down on the deck where his friend and his faithful co-pilot were swaggering closer to him.

"Hello Han," he forced a smile to his face. "Chewie."

No sense in giving signs that something was worrying him, he thought to himself as his friends covered the last few meters between them.

"What ya doing?" his smuggler friend asked, climbing up the ladder of the x-wing.

"Oh," Luke sighed, leaning back in his seat as Han leaned in to check on his handiwork, "not much, just tampering I guess."

Solo turned his head toward him and gave him a sarcastic grin. "Sounds like so much fun," he commented wryly.

"Yeah..." the young Jedi agreed. "What about you?" He inquired as he focused on his friend, thus noticing the easy grin that he was currently harbouring. "Why do you look like you're up to something?" he queried as playfully as he could.

"Because I 'am' up to something," the pilot grinned further. "I just broke a deal in the Alliance's interest. A very," he added smugly, "very lucrative deal."

"And?" Luke prompted him.

"And I was wondering if you felt like stretching your wings with me and Chewie."

The prospect of finally doing something aside from waiting for the next attack greatly interested Luke, but before he could answer with an eager: "Yes!", his foreboding feeling resurfaced, somewhat stronger than what it had been up to now. The young man gazed down at his grimy hands, trying yet again to decipher what was disturbing him so much about the Imperial warrant. After all, he had been on the most wanted dockets after the battle of Yavin, yet no one had turned him in. So why was he worried now?

What was so unnerving about the increased bounty that his sixth sense went haywire on him?

He straightened up and carefully studied his older friend's confident features. Perhaps he was just getting jittery and more action would do him some good, he reflected. After all, nothing kept his mind busier than a fight.

Besides, he admitted to himself, he was longing for adventures these days, keeping his eyes open for an opportunity to leave the well-hidden fleet for a while.

"You bet," he nodded, smiling more easily as he heaved himself out of his seat. "When do we leave?" he asked, feeling some of his typical eagerness return at last.

Yes, he realized, he really needed some action if he didn't want to go stir crazy.

"I still have to check on a few things with her Highness," Han smiled lopsidedly as he jumped down the boarding ladder, "so in about two hours top."

"Okay, I'll clean up and meet you at the Falcon," Luke answered smoothly before he climbed over the lip of his cockpit and slipped down the side of his ship; he lightly landed on the deck beside Chewie.

On his way to the pilot's ready room, the young man tried to imagine what scheme his smuggler friend had concocted this time.

He hoped that it would work out better than usual for them, but if not, well, he shrugged confidently, he had trained his aiming skills with Han's help.

He would be ready for anything.

* * *

Still standing near the now deserted x-wing, Han Solo watched his young friend walk away. Now that the rebellion poster boy was out of sight, he allowed a frown to crease his forehead. Something was wrong with the Kid, he reflected, and then turned toward his co-pilot; the much older Wookiee crooned a similar thought of concern about the youth.

"I know," the smuggler admitted. He carefully checked over the x-wing to make sure that he was not missing a vital clue as to what was going on in his friend's mind, and then turned around. "He wasn't that hesitant last week," he commented next as the two of them headed back the way they had come.

*He changed attitude two weeks ago," his companion corrected him wisely.

"After our 'downtime' on Galador, huh?" Han summarized as he remembered the alleged mission that had been cancelled only once they had been out in the open.

Back then, the imperial blockade had delayed their leaving the enclave, and, when they had seen through their disguise, had given chase, but they had all left unscathed.

In short, there had been nothing to worry about.

He turned his head around once again to gaze at the spot where his younger friend had been standing not so long ago. Could the Kid still be worried about that near miss in their rear? He wondered.

Nah, he shook his head as he refocused on his whereabouts. It wasn't like Luke to dwell in the past like that. The youth was too idealistic and naive to become a professional worrier like his Goldenrod of a droid.

No, he shook his head again as he and Chewie approached the familiar shape of the Millenium Falcon. Their latest brush with the imps could not possibly worry Luke.

And yet, he thought once again, something was obviously on the boy's mind.

The question was to figure out what it was, and somehow, he doubted that the Kid would share 'that' with him.

* * *

As Han had surmised, Luke didn't breach the sensitive subject with him, no matter how much the older man gave him opportunities to do so.

At first, Luke didn't think about his strange premonition, but the closer he and his companions came to the end of their hyperspace jump, the more anxious he grew.

It was, he thought, as if his subconscious was warning him that serious trouble was waiting for him on that planet, but it was ridiculous, he tried to reassure himself.

Nobody there knew who he really was, and he would leave his lightsaber aboard the Falcon just to make sure that he could not be identified as a Jedi either.

He then tried to convince himself that he would be okay, like on every other mission that he had shared with his best friends.

The only serious danger that he might encounter was to get caught in the cross-fire between Han and Jabba's minions.

Yes, he reassured himself, that experience was probably what was nagging at him. After all, he remembered with a slight shudder, the last time that they had faced bounty hunters, they had barely gotten away with their lives.

But not this time, he resolved. They would be fine and everything would proceed smoothly.

The feeling, though, didn't listen to him and continued to nag at him, all the way to the smuggler's den.

Warier than usual thanks to it, Luke stuck very close to Han and Chewie, keeping his hand near his blaster while he surveyed the main room.

A waist-high wall circled the shielded inner area of the room where only a selected few, mostly dancers and associates, were allowed. The non-restricted area of the arena-like room was filled with thugs who worked for the dealer; most were lounging at tables scattered around the different levels of the arena, while others stood in shadows, as if ready for anything.

While Luke wouldn't trust any of those individuals with his true identity, he also couldn't feel any danger coming from them.

No, he thought as he refocused on Han and his 'friend', his feeling was related to something outside this group.

But what? He wondered for the hundredth time since he had become aware again of his increasing uneasiness.

* * *

Filing the usual layout to the back of his mind, Han focused his whole attention on the man who had agreed to repay a debt with him by giving him an audience where he could speak on the Rebels' behalf.

Another part of his mind relaxed, aware that his trustee first mate was at his right, watching his back while he himself took care of the danger that was in front of them. To his left, Luke still seemed jittery, but he held himself well under control now.

His hand was straying close to his blaster's butt, though, as if his 'feelings' were warning him of an imminent attack.

Discreetly touching the boy's forearm before squeezing it, Han silently warned him to ease up just a little bit so as to not put their possible allies on edge. Luke acknowledged his silent command and removed his hand from his weapon.

Han, for his part, focused his attention on his old partner in crime.

"So have you thought about my offer?" Solo inquired with the dealer.

"Yes," the other nodded calmly, but I ain't sure that it's a good bargain, Solo."

"Since when did war ruin business like yours, Roko?" he countered with a mock-annoyed sneer. "Do you have any idea how long 'that' war can last? At the rate that the Rebels are going, it will take them twenty-five years to beat the Empire, if ever."

Beside him, Luke frowned at his strange argument, but the Kid wisely remained silent. He might not like the truth, Han reflected, but the fact still remained that the ragtag army of the Alliance was nowhere near vanquishing the galactic empire.

"Right..." Roko rubbed his chin. On both sides of him, his bodyguards gave them a dirty look while a daringly-clothed female assistant handed a datapad to her boss.

Han estimated that the deceptively-beautiful woman had just crunched numbers for her boss' benefit.

"And you guarantee that the Empire will never find out about our little gig?" Roko finally inquired, raising his eyes from the pad and locking them on his.

"If they never found out about your other ventures, why would they figure out this one?" Han challenged him.

The other could only agree with him.

"So, do we have a deal?" Han prompted him while he shot a quick gaze in Luke's direction. The Kid was shuffling his feet, a sign of anxiety that could be wrongly interpreted by Roko, especially when they were so close to settling a bargain.

Sheepish, Luke stilled once again. His electric blue eyes, though, silently asked him to hurry up before they focused away once again.

Han frowned inwardly. The Kid really was on edge...

He made a note to himself to talk with him the moment that they would be safe in hyperspace while he continued on his last attempt to convince his old friend to do business with the Rebels and him. "You give me the weapons for half-price, and the Alliance becomes your permanent client and handles the cargo's transport."

"For the short while that it will last," the dealer sneered, throwing a glance at Luke. "The Empire is powerful and better armed in the long run. I ain't sure that it's a great deal," he slurred, his lack of interest obvious.

"They will lose," Luke stated defiantly, surprising Han with his awareness of the ongoing discussion. "Alliance soldiers don't fight for a pay but for their beliefs. That makes us twice as dangerous as the Empire's imposing army."

* * *

As he finished his last sentence, though, Luke was hard-pressed not to voice his concerns to Han. The urge to bolt away was such that he could barely refrained himself from actually giving into it.

"Sure," the kingpin shrugged. He refocused his attention on Solo. "I still don't get why you're with them, Solo."

"The money," Han answered with a lopsided grin, "only the money to repay Jabba."

"I see..." the other muttered with a nod, took his time to debate his final decision, and then shrugged. "All right, deal," he stated with finality. "If the war lasts for a long while, that means more money for me anyway."

His assistant offered a datapad to Solo.

"Your weapons will be at---"

They never found out where the weapons were supposed to be waiting for them before a thick and white smoke swiftly invaded the main room even as the protective shield of the middle ring suddenly shorted out.

For a moment, everybody froze and coughed in an attempt to not suffocate to death, and then Luke's instincts took over, reminding him that smoke meant danger; he tried to peer through the smoke.

"Take cover!" someone shouted as the young Jedi finally managed to distinguish forms moving through the smoke --- only to belatedly identify the white and black shapes of imperial stormtroopers.

"Kreth!" He swore even as Han grabbed hold of his wrist and dragged him toward the nearby waist-high wall. Luke didn't resist him, hurrying after him; they jumped over their chosen cover and crouched behind it.

"We're in trouble," Luke whispered grimly as he pulled his blaster from his holster.

"No kidding," Han growled. "Count on a local garrison to break up a party," he commented, and then exchanged a meaningful glance with Luke; they both straightened up, took aim above the wall, and opened fire on the imperial soldiers.

While Luke took care of the troopers that poured endlessly into the room, Han and Chewie decimated those that were already inside it. Roko's smugglers and dancers also joined the fray.

However, whereas the middle ring had been impregnable thanks to its protective shield, its disappearance made their central position the easiest target of them all as they could be fired upon from anywhere in the circular den.

"We've got to get out of here!" the young rebel finally shouted over the deafening noises of the battle.

"I know, I know," Solo retorted in frustration. "I'm working on it! Keep shooting, Kid!" He ordered him.

So, Luke thought grimly as he shot yet another trooper,'that' was what he had been warned about; his mind had somehow 'known' that, this time, he was better off ignoring the thrill of living new adventures, but unfortunately, in spite of his cold feeling of dread, he hadn't been able to say no to this new prospect.

Well, he sneered at himself, he was right smack dab in it this time.

He aimed and shot again a trooper in the knee, aware once again that his training under Han had really honed his skills to deadly accuracy. He had only missed twice out of more than fifty shots disbursed since the beginning of the fire fight, and those two times had happened while he had been talking to Han.

He should be happy to experience the thrill of a fire fight, he conceded as he hurried to take cover to avoid the bolts that came his way. It was what he had always wanted, he reminded himself as he straightened once again and shot the trooper dead. He had always wanted to have a 'good fight', but---

As he fell another trooper, his nervousness suddenly increased ten fold--- making it clear that the warning wasn't related to Han but that it was instead related to him.

'What is it??' He queried to himself, not really expecting an answer, yet ready to admit that he was downright terrified. His uneasiness wasn't solely related to the attack, but to something else... something worse than an imperial attack.

He quickly surveyed the room for any trap, became aware that his companions weren't at his side anymore but a few meters away and up on the next level of flooring, probing the floor with fellow smugglers--- when the stormtroopers suddenly began to stun enemies.

His fraction of inattention proved to be fatal for him. Even as his sixth sense shrieked at him to take cover, a stun blast hit him from behind.

He crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Having 'secured' a captive, the imperials intensified their stun blasts and blaster fire around his position while two of their number ran closer to take physical custody of him.

* * *

Han, who had been calling to Luke to join them for the past minute, swore when he saw him fall, but before he had managed to take one step toward the unconscious youth, Chewie restrained him and pulled him toward the now uncovered secret passage.

*We can't do anything for him here," the Wookiee growled wisely while he used his strength to restrain the frenzied pilot. *We have to escape if we want to free him later."

Around them, Roko's bodyguards covered their boss' exit down the catacombs, temporarily keeping their gorup safe from stun shots.

Still, despite the imminent danger, and even though Han knew that Chewie's argument was more than logical, his sense of honor pulled at him. He just couldn't abandon his friend, leaving him to the hands of those blood-sucking, moth-eating imperial scums.

While he was trying to resist his Wookiee friend, though, the overall situation of the smugglers' den rapidly degenerated; aware that they were beaten for now, Han swore in grim frustration and stopped resisting Chewie's pull.

His co-pilot was unfortunately right...

"All right, let's go," he said, following the other smugglers who had already disappeared inside the secret passage.

Chewie went first, and then Han meant to follow but stopped. He turned toward his fallen friend who was being pulled inside the once-again shielded inner room with the other prisoners.

"I'll come back for you, Kid," he promised to the inert, helpless young Jedi who had taught him that friends were the most precious thing in one's life. "I swear that I won't abandon you," he gritted, forcing himself to not go right away after the Kid.

Then, before the stormtroopers could catch up with him, he slipped inside the secret passage and sealed it behind himself.

Meanwhile, the troopers finished stunning the remaining smugglers, and then proceeded with the second phase of their new orders.

They locked their prisoners into cuffs and strung them up using the available upper walls.

TBC in part 2 : The Dark Lord of the Sith

* * *

Had fun ? R and R please!!!!

Want more?.. It's up to you!


	2. The Dark Lord of the Sith

* * *

By mireille 1998-2001-2009 ()

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belongs to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

Warning : Luke's troubles begins...

* * *

In the catacombs of Kadora, miles away from the captured smugglers' den, Han slowed his pace even as he extended his hand to keep his Wookiee companion from following the rest of the fleeing smugglers.

When Chewie turned around to question his action, though, the experienced smuggler was unable to voice his thoughts. His lips moved, but no sound came out of them; his eyes, however, spoke volumes of concern about their missing friend.

*We can't go back," his wise alien friend shook his head at him. *We must remain free if we want to help him."

"But we can't just abandon him for gods know how long, Chewie!" He argued fervently. "In his current glum state, he won't last long against the imps."

*Yet going back without a rescue plan will not help him much either."

Aware that the much older Wookiee had a point, Han fell silent, and then shut his eyes and forced his normally rational mind to recover its usual edge. Luke was in trouble, yes, but the imperials had undoubtedly surrounded the den with security measures that would discourage anyone from even considering the thought of helping the prisoners.

Normally, such bad odds would effortlessly discourage him from thinking about going back for someone, yet at the moment, they somehow had the opposite effect on him, galvanizing him into trying and proving the imperials wrong about their perfect defense/security measures. Perhaps it was because he could feel that he could really help the Kid - who had proven to him that no matter the odds, everything was possible - or perhaps it was a selfish desire to show up to the said Kid - who had also outdone him aboard the Death Star.

Whatever it was, though, he just couldn't turn his back to his friend.

He had to go back, plain and simple.

"Are you with me, Chewie?" he asked his best friend and co-pilot.

*Do you have a plan?" the taller alien queried in answer.

"We do," Roko's assistant unexpectedly cut in, surprising them both with her presence by them as well as her ability to understand Shyriiwook, "but we need your help to pull it off."

The two rebel affiliates exchanged a perplexed glance.

"Of course," the other shrugged her thinly-covered shoulders, "if you prefer to slink around without knowing what measures the imperials have set in place to catch you, go right ahead."

Han felt his confidence falter as he realized that the deceptively-gorgeous woman was right. Some of Roko's former associates had more than probably betrayed them to the imperials, giving the enemy a description of a smuggler and wookiee, which was an easy target to locate and eliminate, or worse, detain.

"All right," Han conceded with a grimace, "but we had better go after Luke quickly."

* * *

* * *

Following the Force pull that had led him to prioritize the vague intel report that had concerned a small probability of rebel contact on Kadora, Darth Vader ominously stepped into the hastily-set-up interrogation center. He then paused in the entrance and slowly gazed from left to right, his eyes and mind probe effortlessly sliding from one prisoner to the other.

While he could readily eliminate the dancers and several ruffians from his list of possible rebels, he did not dismiss others so easily as their thoughts and feelings were, at best, ambiguous, and at worse, downright pro-rebel.

Then, there was the fact that tried as he might, he still couldn't pinpoint the Force-sensitive individual that he had sensed ever since the Executor had entered orbit; he only knew for certain that the Jedi was located here, in this very room. As he had estimated from orbit, the other was strong, but he revised his assessment as he understood that the other was somehow diluting his presence by spreading it over the whole room he was in.

It was a most unusual tactic, as well as one that required a level of mastery that only a powerful Jedi could achieve.

Still, he simmered in frustration, he was a Dark Lord of the Sith and he would not have his probe thwarted so. He would _not_.

Before he could try and tackle the other's unspoken challenge, though, a squad leader reported to him with a brisk military salute. "My Lord, we have a confirmed rebel."

As Vader expected, the officer pointed to the sandy-blond youth that he had also identified as a rebel sympathizer when he had probed the boy's mind.

"We have also identified smugglers who stole imperial cargo and have obtained the location of said cargo. However, we have been unable to reacquire contact with the other smugglers and rebels that escaped during the firefight, but we have accurate descriptions of everyone missing."

"Good work, Commander," he praised emotionlessly. "Dispatch more units to the spaceport and establish a security perimeter until further notice. Continue your search of the catacombs and set up control points throughout the city."

"And the prisoners, my Lord?"

Vader glanced about once more, his gaze drawn to the slight rebel youth that had been betrayed by both his subconscious thoughts and his fellow prisoners. "Leave the rest to me."

Even as the other saluted smartly, Vader watched in clinical interest as the young rebel was brutally-awakened by the main interrogator, who immediately proceeded with his brutal task.

He then left him to his men's care and refocused his attention on his Jedi chase.

* * *

Luke gritted his teeth against the burst of pain that blossomed in his side as the interrogating officer viciously kicked him in the ribs. Seated and strung up as he was against the outer ring wall of Roko's private arena, the other's foot connected at full strength with his defenseless body and the boy could only try and lean away from the impact to avoid the full brunt of the assault.

What little space he had to move sideways didn't do him much good.

"Again, rebel," the imperial leaned into his personal space, "where is your base?"

Luke gathered his wits once more and glared up as hard as he could at the cruel man. "I am '_not'_ a rebel! I'm just a new pilot here and---"

The other's knee violently connected with his jaw, shoving Luke's head back against the wall with enough speed to cause stars to flash through his vision as his head hit the unyielding surface.

"Enough of that, rebel. We know who you are, so again, unless you want to visit a true interrogation room, where is your base? What ship brought you here?"

Luke stared defiantly at his tormentor but remained silent.

That's when he heard '_it'_.

The sound of the Emperor's dedicated henchman.

Darth Vader's trademark breather.

What was '_he'_ doing here? Luke wondered, his defiance wilting at the thought of even _being_ in the same room as the heartless Dark Lord of the Sith.

Then, his eyes involuntarily looked up and fell on the black-enshrouded cyborg – and he belatedly realized that the other was not only in the room; he was striding in his direction.

Luke reflexively tried to shrink back into the wall that held him in place.

"Resistance is futile, boy," the other warned, and to Luke, he seemed immeasurably satisfied to see _him_ in such a position.

The young Jedi bristled in resentment but remained silent. He would not talk. He '_would'_ not talk.

* * *

Vader was downright jubilating.

He had finally found the Force sensitive individual. He had had to focus all his irritation and impatience into an all encompassing shroud of Dark Side energy, but at last, the light side haze that had impeded his previous efforts had dissipated.

Even better, he had suddenly felt the distinct awareness that had been hiding behind the invisible haze and he had been able to track it as it had shrunk back in retreat--- and into the very same rebel pilot that he had already identified as his only important captive.

It could only mean that this rebel was none other than the so-called Hero of Yavin, the nameless pilot who had blown up the Death Star after giving him a run for his money in the battle station's main trench.

And at last, with all the pieces falling into place, Vader understood why he had been driven and pushed and prodded by the Force to take such a huge gamble on a less-than-confirmed intelligence report, deploying twice as many resources as usual to secure any possible rebel.

_It_ had known that he would kill two gundarks with one sweep.

Indeed, not only had he captured a future rebel informer – as everyone broke sooner or later – but he had also found the most elusive pilot that had demonstrated huge Force potential while above Yavin 4.

And the Emperor didn't know about that most fortunate turn of events.

He had also saved the tax payers from feeling yet again the pinch of an outrageous imperial bounty on an outlaw's head, but that was merely a bonus considering the importance of his discovery for his long-term plans.

For now, though, it was time to focus on his future and secret apprentice. He stepped closer and leaned over the youth until the other couldn't hide his fear from him. Satisfied by the other's dread of him, he addressed the chief interrogator while keeping his gaze locked on the rebel. "Take him to my ship. Free the collaborators and send the others to Kessel. Advertise this punishment around they city and blow this refuge to smithereens."

"Yes, my Lord."

Vader then grasped the boy's front hair – as he had begun to struggle against his bonds – and started despite himself at the icy blueness of the furious eyes that glared hard at him. Up to now, he hadn't noticed how eerily familiar they were… He made a mental note to investigate the matter later. "We will soon talk at length, rebel." *Jedi,* he finished silently through the Force.

While the youth was obviously terrified by that final and silent statement, he also kept up a surprisingly strong defiant attitude. "Kiss a Hutt," he growled through clenched teeth, and then spat up at him.

Vader's reflexive reaction was to backhand the boy for his insolence, and the strength of his mechanical arm did the rest.

Even as the youth's face whipped around under the jarring impact, his head collided hard with the wall and he almost gratefully blacked out.

* * *

* * *

Eventually, Han, Chewie and their temporary allies left the labyrinth-like catacombs behind after one of Roko's pilot confirmed that the way was clear. They quickly made their way toward a non-descript house, and then into another secret passage that took them back underground.

"Nice set up," Han commented to his nearby co-pilot, careful to make himself scarce and inconspicuous as it became obvious to him that Roko's organization was far better organized that he had ever been led to believe.

"Status," the beautiful assistant demanded as her boss confidently sat at the observation station that was set up at the back of the room.

Han reflected that he didn't seem the least bit worried, which was rather unexpected considering the situation they were in.

"We have feeds on the landing troops and transports, but the spaceport has been disconnected and is inaccessible without risking our remaining assets."

Which meant that it was not a routine crack down, Han thought next as he switched his focus to the screens on the far wall; he silently studied the images of the previously-mentioned feeds. Whatever had prompted the imperials to come down hard on Roko's gang, he realized that they had been prepared for something of great importance.

Heck, there were twice as many more troopers than usual for such an operation. Hence, while patrols now walked down all the main streets of the city, the spaceport was cordonned off and the landing armoured prisoner transport was unexpectedly accompanied by armoured speeders that efficiently discouraged anyone from attempting an attack on the transport.

On another screen, a lambda-class shuttle was lifting off, rejoining a double squad of TIE fighters up in the sky.

"Talk about tight security," Han muttered to Chewie while he watched the prisoner transport settle by the main door of the building.

*We can't do a thing for the cub right now," his Wookiee companion said in obvious chagrin. *We can only hope that we can escape from those security measures ourselves."

Despite the cold fist that gripped his heart at the thought of having to leave Luke behind once again, Han could only agree with his friend; if they wanted to save Luke, they first had to remain free so as to be able to help him later on. "Let's first see if he is part of the prisoners," he commented, stepping closer to the surveillance screen.

Beside them, Roko's assistant followed suite.

Almost on cue, more troopers came out, hustling a group of men, women and aliens toward the waiting transport. They were all attached to one another through their cuffs, and looked barely awake.

'Probably drugged for easier control', Han quickly surmised as he swiftly scanned one face after another in search of his friend's.

*Can you see him?" Chewie asked in concern.

"Maybe there's another group inside," he commented hopefully, and then his eyes drifted to the other surveillance screen – which still showed the departing shuttle – and a foreboding shiver ran through him.

All of a sudden, he knew exactly where the young Jedi was.

Somehow, the imps had found dout that he was the Hero of Yavin and had separated him from the regular group of prisoners.

They had delivered him to their Dark Lord of the Sith, who had been relentlessly chasing him ever since the destruction of the Death Star.

No, Han reflexively denied his own reasoning. No, he was jumping at conclusion. Only Alliance soldiers knew about Luke's alter ego. Nobody else knew, hence the imps – who were still clueless about this information- couldn't have found out in any way, let alone this fast...

Unless, his more rational mind reminded him, unless Luke's mumbo jumbo had betrayed his other secret identity... that of a potential Jedi. After all, the Empire and Vader had somehow exterminated all the other trained Jedi, so could they have tracked Luke down the same way----

As the last group of prisoners came out, followed by a group of free women and a few gritty-looking males that hurriedly left the neighborhood - and that there still was no sign of Luke anywhere - Han's mind suddenly froze in horror as he accepted what had happened to his friend.

Luke had not been merely delivered to Vader; the dark-bloated monster had somehow '_found'_ Luke, as he had the other Jedi before him, and the presence of the Kid with them had guided the dark henchman to Roko's den.

Horrified by his accurate, utterly impossible yet undeniable and soul-rending conclusion, Han slowly turned his head toward his taller best friend, giving him a silent 'I have a bad feeling about this,' glance.

They then watched as the building unsurprisingly blew up in a fiery display of explosions that violently shattered all the windows of the surrounding buildings.

Beside them, the assistant turned to her boss, who silently nodded at her.

"Phase 2 everyone," she ordered cooly before she turned toward Han. "We need to do something about that look, Solo," she stated cryptically, and then turned on her heels without waiting for an answer from him.

Han belatedly understood that she wanted him to follow her. Chewie prompted him forward even as he walked after her.

Behind them, everyone else in the room began to change clothes and everything other physical feature that could be disguised.

* * *

* * *

*Luke, listen to me...* an ethereal voice called to him. *Whatever Vader does to you, you _must_ keep your identity secret. Never reveal your name... Hold onto the Light... I will protect you... You're our only hope... You have to resist him at all costs... You have to... You have to...* the voice practically begged with his subconscious.

Luke's eyes suddenly snapped open and he wondered what had woken him. Then, a second later, he tried to remember why he'd fallen asleep in the first place--- and then everything came back to him with a rush of adrenaline and a painful headache.

He frantically looked around himself, and felt his heart sink as he recognized his surroundings as that of a detention cell similar to the one he had rescued Leia from. Then, upon realizing that he had been stripped of all his clothes save his trousers and that he was held in a standing position, he craned his neck to judge his exact predicament.

He moaned half-audibly at the sight of the welded – welded ? - sturdy locks that now held him to the ceiling of his cell. As a huge lump of dread formed in his throat, he conceded that he had a very, very bad feeling about this.

He reflexively strained against his restraints, only to discover that he wasn't going to escape them anytime soon. The chains were too sturdy to be broken by a strong pull, and the locks of his cuffs were totally unmaneuverable anymore.

But why had his cuffs been welded? He wondered. He knew that he could sometimes use a little of the Force, but not for anything as focused as opening locks...

That analysis led him to an even graver question: how had Vader discovered his Jedi identity? He hadn't done anything... He had been way too scared and in pain to focus his thoughts... and besides, he wasn't a Jedi... yet.

Still, he was here now, and it was clear that Vader had torture and death in store for him; it wasn't a happy prospect.

He had to get out of there, he thought in renewed desperation.

He strained again against his cuffs, but only managed to wear his strength down.

If only he had his lightsaber, he mentally whined once he simply hung in his chains. If only he hadn't left it aboard the Falcon...

The door suddenly swished open, allowing entrance to the dreaded dark lord. Luke meant to glare at him, but his ears picked up a strange buzzing sound that puzzled him. He frowned at it--- until he spotted the shiny, black and metal-studded ball that followed the darksider inside the cell.

At that moment, his fear rose to unprecedented levels as memories of Leia's sparse retelling of her torture came foremost in his mind. He tried to back away from both the evil man and his dreadful device, to no avail.

"Your fear is most potent, young Jedi," the dark lord commented almost amiably. "Do you wish to cooperate rather than face torment?"

If Luke had listened to his fear, then yes, he would have preferred to cooperate with whatever Vader wanted with him, but to his surprise, Vader's words awoke all the hatred and defiance that he held toward the evil that the demon incarnated; he welcomed those emotions in his core without any questions, taking them as strength that he would need to resist his father's killer. Narrowing his eyes and setting his jaw defiantly, he glared at the darksider while he promised himself that he would never betray neither the Rebellion nor his secret. He also swore to himself to never bow to the cruel man--- and then braced himself for what would lead to his untimely death... but he wouldn't break.

"In your dreams," he spat with as much confidence as he could muster.

Vader answered him by backhanding him, dazing him quite thoroughly.

"You stubborn rebel," the darksider growled, and then activated the torture droid and let it do its work.

* * *

As Vader watched the rebel writhe and howl under the droid's relentless attacks, he continued to try and probe the other's mind, to no avail. Somehow, the youth still held an impenetrable shield in place despite the torment that he was undergoing.

The darksider definitely began to foresee possibilities if he were to ally this Jedi-to-be with himself against the Emperor.

Indeed, he was very strong - even stronger than he thought possible anymore--- but the boy's will was also extremely resilient.

After their third day of continuous physical torture, and still no results, Vader decided that he couldn't remain aboard the Executor with his prisoner or else the Emperor would hear about him as more than a puny rebel prisoner with possible information regarding the Hero of Yavin.

Somehow, Vader mused while he studied his howling captive yet again, the boy's Force-strength was such that he could resist truly impressive levels of agony.

He hadn't encountered such strength of will in a long, long while... if ever, he shrugged to himself. One thing was sure, though, the boy may be very powerful, but _he_ would break him to pieces before long.

After all, he shrugged, he always reached his goal, as it was the only important thing in his life.

It would be no different with this Jedi child.

* * *

TBC in part 3: Challenges

Thanks again to everyone who has shared their comments about the first part! Your interest and kindness really means a lot to me!

Liked this new part as well? want more? You know what to do ;P


	3. Challenges

* * *

Caught

Part 3 : Challenges

By mireille 1998-2001-2009

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belongs to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

Warning : this new part is the reason why I rate this fic R as Vader doesn't kid around when he interrogates Luke. I tried to soften the blows compared to the original version by removing some of the more cruel details, but it is still a defintely r-rated part. Just keep that in mind whenever Luke is conscious.

Other than those parts, though, the rest should be for those who just like ESB-like conflicts and challenges fics :) Enjoy!

* * *

Back on Kadara, Han left the small fresher and Chewie whuffed in surprise at his changed appearance. Instead of his usual dark-brown bangs, the pilot now sported a russet mop of unruly hair that stood straight on his head. As for his trademark corellian stripes, his white shirt and his black vest, he had traded them for body-tight supple leather that looked somewhat out of place on him as those clothes were more expensive than anything he had ever been able to afford in his whole life.

Not that the long trench wasn't his style, though.

"The crawlers will wash out in a few days," the equally disguised assistant explained as she studied his transformation. He notice that, she had changed her usual looks for that of a more regular citizen, and her hair was now a dull raven black instead of the brilliant blond of before.

Both humans had also changed eye color, had added facial prosthesis whenever possible, and Han had completed his look with a single earring on his left ear and a refined true moustache.

Growth agents were so useful when one knew how to use them, he reflected as he ran a fingertip over the new facial hair.

"So can we have the Falcon's codes already?" the bossy woman asked, extending a demanding hand toward him.

Chewie woofed his unease with this part of the plan while Han, who patted his new pockets to make sure that he had all his identity cards with him, took a moment to consider the plan anew.

He finally closed his fist around his back up code card but didn't produce it yet. "What guarantee do we have that we'll get her back?"

"Who'd want to pilot such an identifiable ship besides you?" the other countered, resting her hands on her fabric-covered curves. "Come on, time is money, and we've already wasted enough of it as it is."

With a last glance of uncertainty at his co-pilot, Han made his decision and gave her the precious back up key that gave access to their priceless baby.

Everyone was spurred into motion after that.

Even as Han watched her give the key to a Talz and a Bimm, he and Chewie were ushered toward the various means of transportation that were parked in the adjoining shielded landing bay. While Chewie was directed toward a secret compartment that was located inside a closet-like space of a small transport ship, Han was shown the piloting seat of a luxurious speeder.

Several unfamiliar faces, including one of Roko's bodyguards, then took place in the back of the speeder and opened a bottle of spirit. So, Han surmised quickly, he would pretend to be a hired pilot for a relatively-rich and lazy bunch of off-worlders.

As per agreement, his group was among the first to leave, along with Chewie's.

Their two vehicles took different routes, successfully went through a few controls each, and eventually filed up in the spaceport's access lane with other stranded travelers .

While Han did his best to keep his mind on the ongoing game of deception that had been so craftily set up by Roko's group, his thoughts kept drifting to his missing friend.

He simply couldn't help but wish that Luke's circumstances were not as he feared they were.

Forcing himself to refocus on the present moment – and the raucous laughter that came from his disguised passengers - Han longingly gazed up as ships roared by overhead after getting their final clearance to leave.

He felt his heart clench as he watched his beloved Falcon take to the skies without him. She was safe, of course, but would he ever see her again?..

He then held his breath as he watched the stormtroopers inspect and search the transport that carried Chewie; he let his breath out only when it, too, got the all clear signal, at least as far as the defense perimeter was concerned.

Then, at last, it was up to his group to tackle the control point of the defense perimeter. He assumed the attitude of a professional hired driver/pilot. "Sightseeing the bars and drinking all day, officer," he answered the imperial question as to their recent activities. "I stayed with the speeder throughout their visits."

"Yeah!!! Definitely a great spot for the booze!" one of his temporary allies slurred as if he were thoroughly inebriated, which was an excellent comment from his part as there was little more to do than drink and work on this backwater of a planet. However, local offworlders who couldn't afford long-distance fares were known to take advantage of the local resources when they wanted to unwind from their regular lives, hence their cover story was more than realistic.

"Where are you off to?" the imperial asked, non-committal.

Apparently, Han reflected in relief, the imperial was like his colleagues in the barrages that they had faced already and didn't suspect them of any foul play. "Rialteer aboard the yacht Felicity," he answered out loud, "docking bay number 598." He fished in his breast pocket and produced the chip that Roko's spaceport spies had delivered to them earlier. "Here, it's all on this."

Apparently under the order to be thorough in their search, the officer put the chip in its viewer and downloaded its content while his underlings opened the trunk of the speeder and inspected its content before they asked all the passengers to step out so that they could inspect the rest of the vehicle.

At long last, they gave the all clear signal to their superior and authorized Han's group to reintegrate the speeder. Roko's employees made a show of being too drunk to get in without incident, much to the imperials annoyance.

"All right, you're clear to pass," the officer clipped at Han. "Wait till you get clearance codes before lifting up or you will be detained for questioning."

"Don't worry, they don't pay me enough to take that risk for them," he slurred, pointing a derogatory thumb at the drunken bunch seated behind him.

Already focusing his attention on the next vehicle, the officer signalled them forward while the troopers in front of them temporarily cleared off the driving lane.

* * *

As per agreement, Han and his group boarded a non-descript luxury yacht berthed in bay 598 while others boarded other deceptive-looking ships, and then they all patiently waited for their clearance codes like the law-abiding citizens that they were pretending to be.

_Felicity's_ clearance came only long after Executor, the Empire's latest behemoth, had cleared the system, much to Han's disappointment.

Indeed, he had watched, feeling thoroughly helpless, as Vader's ship had left, taking its precious Jedi captive away and out of immediate reach. Then, while they had waited for their turn to leave, he had tried to extrapolate where the Executor would head next, but he had concluded that there were too many possibilities and too little information to determine anything useful.

His only hope, he reflected as he was finally authorized to initiate his lift-off procedures, was that the cruel monster would not use Luke to find the rebels like he had tried to do with the princess.

The princess..., he paused as a mental image of the radiant young woman floated up in his mind. He would be cursed if he ever let Vader touch a hair of her head ever again!

He also couldn't delay telling her about Luke's current predicament, yet at the same time, if he returned to the Rebellion's rendezvous point after recovering the Falcon, he would be that much later to help Luke.

On the other hand, he reminded himself, he had no idea where Luke was, let alone what he could do to help him...

"Set course 5-7-2," he finally instructed his co-pilot as the unfamiliar yacht took off and quickly broke Kadora's atmosphere.

It was time to recover his ship and first mate before leaving Roko's gang to their well-organized business.

Then, he promised himself, he would turn the whole galaxy upside-down if he had to, but he would find and rescue his friend before Vader could fulfill his evil plans with him.

Whatever his plans would be.

Somehow, though, he knew that the Emperor's henchman would not kill Luke as he had meant to do with Leia, and it wasn't a very reassuring prospect.

**********************************************************************************

"AAAAH! Pleaaaase!" Luke begged desperately, trying yet again to wring his body away from the shocking rod's lava-like touch.

How long would it take before he died, he whined at the unseen Force. He didn't know how much longer he would hold his tongue, as Ben's voice had begged him to do just before this new round of torture had begun.

"What's your name?" Vader demanded for the hundredth time since they had begun their _talks_.

The trooper in charge of the interrogation device gave the youth a few seconds to answer, and then shocked him again.

Please, Luke begged the Force anew while he shrieked yet again in torment. 'Please, let this kill me.'

* * *

"For the last time," the dark lord warned ominously, feeling his patience grow thinner by the second "who are you?"

The young Jedi only screamed again in reaction to the trooper's action.

Vader indicated to the trooper to increase the intensity of the shocks as he could feel that his captive's resistance was lessening.

At last, he thought in annoyance. He had been wearing him down for almost a week and a half now - with two eight-hour long sessions per day - relying exclusively on the physical kind of torment as the strong child had demonstrated his ability to resist the suggestive/pain-inducing drugs that were now the norm with prisoners.

All this, yet he hadn't given any sign of weakness yet.

Soon, though, very soon, he _would_ break him.

"Who are you, rebel? Tell me," he growled, taking hold of the youth's hair and pulling his head backward to force him to meet his gaze. "How are you related to Kenobi?" He asked as he tried once again to understand why he had felt the impossible presence of the old traitor around the child before the other's spirit had sought refuge inside the young Jedi.

Vader now understood that it was Kenobi's spirit, and not the child, who was shielding the Jedi's mind from any probes and thought manipulations that Vader could attempt. However, even if the child was untrained, he was still very strong in the Force and it was _his_ strength that was manipulated by the ghost to produce the impenetrable barrier that protected the rebel's thoughts and secrets.

The youth shrieked yet again in agony as the trooper once again touched his back with the shocking rod.

The prisoner begged for mercy at this.

Vader motioned with his finger; the trooper left the child alone.

"Whenever you surrender, boy," the dark lord said magnanimously in the ensuing silence, and then indicated to the trooper to resume the torture.

The beleaguered young man writhed anew even as he howled in excruciating pain.

The dark lord of the Sith could feel that it was only a matter of minutes before the boy would finally put an end to his stubborn resistance and become reasonable. He knew it, could almost see it happening---but instead of giving in, the young Jedi slumped in his restraints, falling unconscious as his body finally gave up for him.

Vader watched in utter disbelief as the youth's head slumped down to his chest while his muscles relaxed until he simply hung limply from his restraints.

"What?" he finally roared once he recovered from his uncharacteristic shock; he violently backhanded the boy, to no avail. The youth was out cold for real.

And so much for pushing his physical limits, the dark Lord seethed at both himself and the unconscious boy. He had been so certain that he would break him before the end of the week...

Kreth! He swore. To be bereft of such victory after investing so much time and calculated efforts in the fight, it was just… It was just… Aggravating, he relented, and then focused his annoyance on the nearby trooper and thoughtlessly pushed him backward with all the strength of his frustration and anger.

The other crashed against the back wall and crumpled to the deck, unconscious, perhaps dead.

He didn't care.

The only thing that mattered to him now was this young Jedi and how to break him into submission while shooing Kenobi's spirit away from him.

He had brought him here with the Emperor's benediction, intent on breaking him and executing him afterward, or so the Emperor thought. However, Vader didn't plan to kill the boy and had chosen that base – the dumping ground of the Empire – for its ease with which he would be able to hide the continued survival of the boy… but only once he would be broken.

He gazed once again at the unconscious and frustratingly stubborn youth who was dangling from the ceiling.

Twenty physical sessions in ten days, he reflected in awe, yet he still hadn't broken...

It was also the first time that he'd passed out because of the pain, which meant that they had only begun to find his physical limits, but not his mental ones.

Not by a long shot, he reluctantly admitted, but he still _had_ to break him. He had to make this strength his, not to mention that he had to drain Kenobi's ghost from whatever power he still held so that he wouldn't be able to channel the youth's Force shield and kinectic skills so efficiently.

Then, and only then, the boy's power would be his, and he would finally be able to defeat the Emperor and rule the galaxy.

He studied his captive yet again. The child's bare torso now bore countless marks of burns, his right arm was tracked from all the shots of pain-enhancing drugs that he had received, his skin was discoloured by ugly black and blues, and his features were slightly gaunt from both sleep and food deprivation.

Anybody would have given in long before reaching this state of grave injury, Vader knew from long experience, but not this mere boy.

As soon as they had arrived at the outpost, he'd raised the level of pain that was inflicted on him, but his resistance had only increased.

And here he was, he sighed in annoyance, planning to increase the level yet again by adding other forms of torment to his strategy. It was a shame, though, as he couldn't say that he relished the pain that he was inflicting upon his future apprentice. However, the child just wouldn't surrender, thus left him no other choice but to rely on those cruel methods of coercion.

Still, he wanted to keep this Jedi alive for his plans, and for that, he needed some measure of moderation in what he did to him.

As he followed with his eyes the path of countless and criss-crossing burns on the child's exposed back and arms, he made a mental note to check on the results of his DNA test.

Last time that he had checked, the medics aboard Executor hadn't managed to break his code, the regular tools turning defective whenever they had input the new samples in them. Kenobi's channeled powers at work, no doubt, he groused in frustration.

While he had no grasp over that enemy anymore, he promised himself not to give up and to wait for as long as necessary for the ghost's powers to fade to oblivion. After all, he had once read about the Jedi's powers after they transcended this life, and what he had gathered was that their abilities weren't limitless, let alone endless. Hence, no matter what they did, it always drained them of their spiritual energy, which they couldn't recover afterward. Consequently, it was only a matter of time before Kenobi's interference disappeared like so much smoke and for the child to be on his own, at last.

As for the said child, he was a truly powerful Jedi-to-be as it was the only way that he could have resisted the physical torture for so long.

Now, he mused grimly, if only he could find a way to seduce him into cooperation,... but he had yet to find anything useful about him. Indeed, the only thing that he knew about the youth was that, other than death, he didn't want anything.

Of course, Vader shook his head, he couldn't - wouldn't fulfill his wish for death and would instead continue to search for his limits, but... There really seemed to be no limits to what the boy could bear, he admitted as he took hold of the youth's chin and tilted his head backward to study his features yet again.

Like the strongest Jedi of old, he thought seriously.

And the child might just be the strongest of all times, he realized as he felt once again the untapped powers that radiated from his very core. Power that was completely different from the diffused presence of Kenobi's spirit so that he could feel that the child's unique Force signature poured both from and into him.

He had rarely encountered this much raw potential, if ever, he conceded as he tried to remember who might have been the other Jedi. He couldn't put a name on him just now... Who was that child? He queried to the Dark Side. Who were his parents?

It was almost a miracle, he then thought in near child-like wonderment, to find such a strong and untrained individual after the death of the last Jedi. In a way, it was as if he had sprung out of nowhere.

And now he was almost, almost ripe for the taking, for the forges of the Dark Side and his careful, crafty moulding into a secret ally.

The moment that the boy answered even one of his questions, he would know that he had broken him despite Kenobi's Force shields; he would thus pounce on him and finish him, gaining yet another victory over his archenemy while finally putting an end to the sickening torture sessions.

He was wasting his precious time with those cruel procedures, especially since the end would still be the same: the young Jedi would be his.

Considering that the Force and Kenobi's spirit was sustaining the youth, though, he knew that the _end_ wouldn't happen right away, but... he'd break them all in time, and sooner than later now.

*********************************************************************************

For once, Han's misgivings about the resolution of their situation proved to be unfounded. Roko's group turned out to be honourable enough to give the Falcon back to him and Chewie in exchange for helping them pull off their escape without any mishap.

Even better, the contract between them and the Alliance still held despite everything that had happened, or was it because of the role that he had played in their escape?

Whatever it was, Han was glad for this turn of events and didn't waste anymore time regarding Luke's predicament.

The first thing that he and Chewie decided to do was to report the situation to the Alliance... and to Leia.

So it was, thirty hours later - and nearly two weeks after leaving for Kadara with Luke - that the Falcon reached the new rebel rendezvous point.

The moment that the ship settled down, the tan-fatigued, petite form of the last princess of Alderaan hurried closer.

Leaving the ship on stand-by, Han told Chewie to reload the hold with enough supplies to last on their own for a while, and then stalked toward the already lowering ramp.

"Han!" The beautiful young woman sighed in relief when he sauntered down the landing ramp of his ship, "you're safe." She hugged him to herself. "When we heard about the imperials' operation on Kadara, we feared that..." The woman's gaze searched for someone behind him and failed to see the one she was obviously looking for. "Where's Luke?" she inquired with growing concern, pulling away from the older pilot.

"He's... I think we should discuss this aboard the Falcon, princess," he offered her glumly.

As if aware of what he would tell her, the young brunette nodded once and hurried up the ramp, closely followed by him.

Once she had accepted to sit down at the holochess table of the lounge, he sat across from her and shared what he and Chewie had figured out regarding Luke's predicament.

* * *

When Han finished his accounting, Leia was glad that she was already seated or otherwise, she wouldn't be standing anymore. Her knees simply felt like jelly as she mentally pictured once again her dear friend in Vader's clutches...

Not Luke, she prayed the Force in despair. Not her dear, innocent, and naive best friend... And all that because of Han Solo!

Her anger flared, pure and unrestrained as she understood that he had abandoned their friend in order to save his hide, looking out only for himself!!! Cursed, independent scoundrel!

Finding a recipient for her strong emotions, she unleashed them on the poor man who had delivered the bad news to her. "How could you leave him behind?" she asked, outraged.

She had thought that Luke would be safe with Han; had thought that the older man would keep the younger one out of trouble.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" the man seated across from her retorted, equally losing his temper thanks to his worries. "We lost track of him."

Still not ready to listen to him, Leia pounced in further, glaring daggers at the Corellian. "And how could you let that happen?" she growled menacingly. She had always considered that Han had been more than he seemed; that even though he didn't openly show that he cared about their friend, he would never let down the farmboy from Tatooine.

She had been wrong, she thought as she continued to glare at the smuggler.

"Look, Princess," Han glared back, "we wanted to help him. The Imps came down on Roko's group and we couldn't do anything for him at that time. Then, we had to collaborate with the rest of the gang merely to escape the enclave, but I did see Vader's ship leave, and Luke was aboard it... No one knows where they headed, let alone where they are as of today."

Not that he had tried to find it, she thought in disgust, and then stilled her thoughts when she noticed how Han cast down his eyes, his anger apparently giving way to grave concern.

She dramatically mellowed at that.

"I don't know where to start," the older man admitted more humbly, his voice gentled by his grief.

Leia's anger finished to cool down as she became aware that she had once again misjudged Solo. He hadn't abandoned Luke, but he had known that he couldn't do anything for him if he stayed with him or tried to rescue him from early custody. Luke truly was---

Her eyes suddenly became misty even as her whole body turned to mulch as her temporary strength dissipated once again to be replaced by numbing grief. She cast her gaze down. "Then Luke... is as good as dead," she breathed in heart-rending acceptance.

Her words struck Han hard, offering her one more proof that he cared about their friend.

"Hey", he admonished her, looking up once again. "Let's not give up so fast. Luke is tougher than that."

Leia raised her head, glaring anew at the smuggler. She didn't want or need him to give her false hopes, let alone try and cheer her up. Luke was as good as dead, and she knew it. "You have no idea of what Vader can do," she stated with finality. "If he finds out that Luke destroyed the Death Star, he'll kill him, and he might even just kill him for being a Jedi descendant."

"Well that won't happen cause I'll find him," Han countered adamantly.

The princess gaped in confusion at that. "What?" Had she heard right, she wondered, gazing up in the hazel eyes of her unpredictable friend. A smuggler yes, but with so much more to him than grit ...

"I will find that ship and what they've done with the Kid," he promised. "I'm a smuggler with contacts," he added confidently. "I _will_ find Luke."

Contacts? Had she heard right? Han Solo, famous loner and 'I'm in it for the money' smuggler was going to use his resources for their friend? "You would do that for Luke?" she queried in bemusement.

"I got him in this jam," Han explained almost contemptuously to himself and her, "it's only fair that I get him out if he's alive."

Suddenly sorry to have taken her fear and concern out on him, the princess touched his hand with hers, and then locked her eyes with his. "Then May the Force be With You, Han... and luck," she added as if in afterthought. She knew that they would need both to find Luke.

"I'll find him, Leia, or I'll die trying," he promised her, his gaze never straying for hers.

Even though she saw his grim determination to see this through, she knew that their chances of success were very slim. She remained silent however, unable to take away the hope that she was seeing in Han's normally cool eyes... but chances were that Luke was already dead.

Besides, she admitted to herself, a rescue plan to take him away from Vader would be suic---

She stopped her train her thought as a cold shiver of dread ran down her spine: if they failed, Han might die in his quest for Luke. That thought wrenched her guts even more than when she had heard about Luke's capture, moments ago. She simply couldn't imagine not seeing Han again! "Don't die on me, Han Solo," she reflexively warned him, and then quickly added mock-seriously: "or else we'll never get Luke back to tell you that it wasn't your fault."

As she did so, she slightly pulled away from him, purposefully letting go of his hand. She hoped that it would cover her feelings for the man, but the bemused gaze that he gave her made her doubt the success of her latest emotional masquerade.

Lately, she had become more and more aware that she had strong feelings for the irritating Corellian, but she didn't want to face those feelings just yet. After all, she didn't need love to complicate her fight against the Empire and what Life had done to her, not to mention that she didn't want to hurt Luke's feelings by choosing Han over him... Yet, she conceded, the _damage_ was already done in her heart as she already cared very much for Han --- but for Luke as well, she quickly added, and she wanted both young men back at her side, bantering like their usual selves, and safe once again.

She simply didn't want to lose either of them.

They, she admitted to herself, were her new family.

"Keep me informed on your progress," she asked Han as coolly as she could manage given the emotional circumstances. She then slowly stood up from her seat at the holochess table.

"I'll do that," Han answered, non-committal, although she could still see confusion on his face.

Uh-oh, the young woman wondered uneasily. Did he know how she felt?

Well, she argued with herself, she just cared about Luke and him... very much,… and even more so about Solo himself, but she couldn't tell him so yet.

Solo was just too infuriating sometimes.

As if reading her thoughts, he smiled roguishly at her, and then stood up and stepped closer to her, surprising her with his brashness. She watched him, mute and still, as he raised his hand toward her, then she held her breath as he slightly brushed her smooth cheek with his fingertip.

Uh-oh, she thought dimly, this... could get quite uncomfortable and complicated if he felt the same way for her than she did for him.

"I will find him, Leia, I promise," he told her softly, gazing intently in her chestnut eyes, and then he pulled away and her internal tension ebbed, giving way to her grief for her missing friend.

As she watched the pilot head toward the nearby cockpit, she fought renewed tears of sorrow... Luke, she moaned silently in grief as she slowly walked toward the landing ramp. He had to be safe, she thought, and then prayed: 'May the Force be with us.'

Only it knew what Luke was undergoing at the moment... if he were still alive...

**************************************************************************************

For a few days now, Vader had changed the routine with his stubborn and shielded captive, submitting him to various forms of agony while not completely forgoing its physical forms as it efficiently sapped the boy's mental resistance and physical strength.

Still, despite the psychotropic and hallucinogen drugs, the boy held on, and so, they were about to put him through another round of more old-fashioned torture.

The rebel awoke with a groan and a snap of his head, indicating that the awakening agents had finally kicked in his spiced system. His pains instantly assaulted him anew even though he was still feeling woozy.

The new torture officer turned on the familiar shocking rod; the youth snapped to attention as he heard the ominous hum of the device.

"Please," he begged desperately. "Not ag----aaaaah!" he screamed in a scratchy voice and arched up in his restraints to try and escape the touch of the energy rod.

"Do you want this to end?" the dark lord half-whispered tauntingly, leaning closer to the beleaguered young man.

"Yes..." the young Jedi admitted weakly, letting his head hang forward when the torture officer released him from his torment.

"Then surrender," the dark lord said simply. "Your friends will not rescue you as I posted a substantial bounty on their heads. Han Solo and Chewbacca, is it not?"

Given his weakened attitude, Vader didn't think that the boy was still able to defy him, but he was once again proven wrong.

Slowly, the youth raised his head and his now familiar blue eyes glared hard at him. "Never----" he spat but was interrupted by another shock that drew another shriek from him.

"Such stubbornness," the dark lord shook his head in barely-contained frustration.

Meanwhile, the boy continued to beg for release... and then sagged again in his restraints as he passed out yet again.

Vader didn't give him any respite and pushed a jolt of adrenaline into his overloaded system.

"Ow!.." the Jedi groaned, and then locked his tired but far-from-beaten gaze on the dark lord.

"Now," Vader began, leaning ominously close to the youth, hoping to scare him into at least the beginning of cooperation. "Who are you?" he demanded seriously.

"Kiss a Hutt---" was the boy's answer before the rod touched him again, drawing a shriek, and then a second one from him.

"What is your relationship with Kenobi?" the dark lord queried again, this time taking hold of the boy's jaw in frustration.

Perhaps because the child witnessed his horrible grimace thanks to his faceplate, or perhaps because he was genuinely tired of being in pain, he answered him. "He... he taught me," he whispered, closing his eyes against his distorted reflection.

Although Vader was pleased to have finally pulled one answer from the stubborn child, the content of his answer didn't really offer anything of value to him.

After all, it didn't change anything for him that the boy also happened to be one of Kenobi's failed pupil; it didn't explain why his features felt more and more familiar to Vader, or who had passed such Force potential on to him.

It only explained why Kenobi's spirit was attached to him, desperately protecting him despite his waning spiritual strength.

Still, it was an answer, wasn't it? He was finally getting somewhere with the boy despite Kenobi's best efforts to keep it from happening. "You are the boy who freed Princess Leia, aren't you?" he inquired.

That was a normal enough question for the rebel to answer, but to his dismay, the Jedi resumed his silent dispositions.

The officer shocked him again.

"There's no need to deny it," Vader cut in. "I have seen the security footage of the operation."

The exhausted child subsided yet again, barely nodding his head in answer.

"And you destroyed the Death Star," he also stated, slowly building a complacent mood in the boy so as to be able to make his offer to him today.

He then turned to the waiting officer, who had replaced the trooper that he had killed a week ago, and motioned him out.

Now, he was going to set his true offer on the table, and it was to remain between him and his future apprentice. He belatedly noticed how the boy's eyes widened slightly in fear even as he pulled his chin out of his grasp, ignoring the pain that he thus caused himself; Vader smiled at his reaction, aware that it indicated that he was undoubtedly making progress with the trapped youth.

The Dark Lord waited for the cell door to close behind the leaving officer before he stepped even closer to the hanging boy and grabbed hold of the hair at the nape of his neck, tilting his head upward once again until they were at eye level.

"You are strong, but I can make you stronger, young Jedi" he stated, acknowledging his Jedi persona for the first time, and then let him go once the youth understood how serious he was with this. "The Dark Side can make you stronger than any other Jedi before you. You only need to join me."

"Not inter---aah!" the child began, and then yelped as Vader's lightsaber suddenly snapped into existence and, a back step later, swiftly swept in an ark that lightly grazed the length of his exposed torso.

"There is no way out of this, boy, and I'm getting tired of your defiance," he threatened the whimpering brat. "I want you as my apprentice, and I shall have you."

The panting youth remained silent, as if trying to make sense of what he had just said.

Aware that the drugs might still remain in the Jedi's system, Vader pushed the Force in his veins and brain – but not his mind - to clear the other's head further so that the drugs' side-effects would not play against his plans now.

The boy gasped as his senses finally cleared up and he locked his defiant gaze on the black mask of his tormentor. "I'll die before I ever become evil like you."

Vader glared back even though the youth couldn't see his expression. "Death is not an option here, Jedi. There is only life with pain, or without pain. Period. Besides, I am offering you a way to destroy the Emperor. Isn't that what you want? Don't you want to wield all the necessary power to achieve that goal? I can teach you all that, teach you more than Kenobi ever wanted to, and together, we can destroy the Emperor."

"Only for you to replace him while I become like you? No thanks," the boy spat in contempt.

As he became aware that the other would still not yield despite their common ultimate goal, Vader narrowed the distance once again to force the Jedi's head back up, and then spat in growing irritation: "Just save yourself the pain, you stupid brat!"

The youth flinched at the tight grip at the nape of his neck, but instead of cooperating, he gathered his strength and spat yet again in his faceplate.

That did it.

Before he could think about what he was doing, Vader pulled his still-bladed hand back --- and buried his lit lightsaber straight into the boy's left thigh.

He was going to finish this once and for all, he told himself as he avoided the boy's attempt to head butt him in reflexive defence even as the youth howled in agony.

"Kenobi lied to you, boy. The Dark Side is merely a tool to use as you see fit," he said in the other's ear, "Nothing more, nothing less. Now, do you want to feel its power?" He offered and waited for the unsaid answer. When a negative answer came clearly through the boy's glare, he ominously said: "Its fire? Really?" and then he viciously sliced down with his blade.

He then pulled away from the sobbing and nearly passed-out youth before he quietly wiped away the slight trace of saliva from his metallic cheek while he studied the fully-cauterized thigh injury. The leg was still in one piece, but the boy wouldn't be able to walk out of here anymore, his left thigh now unable to sustain his weight, let alone function in any way.

Now that was a lesson that the Jedi would not forget anytime soon.

He then jolted the other awake again through his adrenal system, much to the Jedi's torment.

"You have no concept of the power that I'm offering, child," he tried, slightly calmer than before. "Don't let Kenobi's lies limit your vision," he then commented warningly, waving his blade back and forth around his right wrist in an infinity loop. The exercise was designed to scare the youth to death after what had just happened and to finally break him into cooperation, but as it had been with all his other tactics, it failed to accomplish his goal. "Still not interested to join me?" he demanded, offering him one last chance out of the torment that he had decided to use on him before leaving.

The Jedi remained mute in fear and defiance, but his scorn toward the Dark Side and him were crystal clear in his resolved eyes.

Still yearning for death, Vader realized in annoyance. "Then face the consequence of your choice today," he snarled in once again unbridled frustration.

The child screamed when the blade swiftly grazed his skin, leaving the charred remains of a lightsaber cut behind, which was then followed by another, and another as the dark Lord unleashed a flurry of either superficial or deeper cuts on his prisoner.

"A medical droid is waiting for you, young Jedi," he taunted him mercilessly. "Imagine, no more pain, no more torment. Say the words. Join me and together, we will destroy the Emperor."

The boy howled and shrieked, writhing in his chains to try and escape the whirlwind of vicious cuts, but to no avail.

His only escape came when his body once again gave up for him, and only then, did Vader stop his attacks.

Darn stubborn Jedi child, he cursed as he scanned the boy yet again, or at least as much as he could now that Kenobi's shield was beginning to weaken. For years, he had hunted and tormented Jedi and rebels, but he had never seen such stubborn resistance.

What was it with that boy anyway? He wondered, taking hold of his chin and lifting his head up again. Force-sensitivity aside, no one, not even the most enduring Jedi, had ever been through what he had endured without breaking, not to mention that the levels of pain that he was using on him were now astounding, close to the killing level.

Some even were past that level, but the boy had withstood those even though Kenobi's help didn't extend to this area of his predicament.

The child simply hadn't broken yet.

Oh, he had given him some information, he conceded, but nothing useful like his name or a real breach into his psyche.

Even worse, the child was still as resistant as he had been on the first day.

Just why couldn't he see the logic of what he was offering to him? He grumbled as he let go of the youth's bloodied chin. Why couldn't he see the lies of Kenobi's teachings?--- Kenobi.

He stopped his train of thoughts and refocused on his captive, suddenly seeing him under a new angle.

There 'was' something between the boy and the old wizard, he reflected as he felt an unfamiliar tug in the Force, something else besides the fact that he had trained him.

After all, the other had chosen him as an anchor the way Qui-Gon had with him until he had turned away from his teachings.

So what could there be between the Jedi and his weak former teacher?

For the sake of the Force, he couldn't figure it out.

At least, he sighed as he turned away from his frustrating captive, the Emperor still didn't know about the youth's localized Force signature, and hopefully never would.

Only _he_ would forge the boy, turn him into his tool to take over the throne… If only he could figure out what would make the Jedi change his mind, he reflected, turning back toward his prisoner. He had tried everything: food, money, knowledge, power, medical care... nothing seemed to reach the frustrating if astounding youth.

One thing was sure, though: he had definitely captured the strongest Jedi of all times, which was probably why Kenobi was so intent on protecting his mind and identity. Still, Vader was lucky to have found the youth during his untrained years or else he didn't even want to consider what he would have to do to him to break him.

He reluctantly left the stifling cell and turned to the waiting interrogation officer. "Have him checked and fortified," he ordered. "We resume his session tomorrow."

And this time, he thought angrily as he stormed out of the cell bay, he would really challenge the boy's will.

He also wouldn't help him with the drugs.

* * *

Luke's next sessions became something of a surprise box to his muddled senses. While some involved his already inflicted physical pains, they were now mixed with psychological torments as well as other types of torture that he didn't know how to qualify.

Given his extremely painful state, he found it very difficult to resist and bear the annoying noises that he currently couldn't block out. He tried to slip free of his restraints yet again, scratching his wrists bloody in the process.

His torment went on.

As if it weren't enough already, his assigned torture droid shot him with hallucinatory spice that made him both sick and totally disoriented.

When Vader tried to play on his weakened state, though, Luke hung onto a single answer.

No.

Just like Ben's voice kept telling him whenever he felt like faltering a little further than he already had.

TBC in part 4

* * *

Well, how was that?

Thanks again to everyone who has read and reviewed the first two parts; I sincerely hope that you had fun once again with this new part even though it was rough for our poor favorite Jedi.

Want more? Intrigued by what I am hinting at for part 4? And what if I say that part 5 will be called Revelation... and will be composed of exclusively new material that the old Caught story never included? :)

Sure hope I managed to whet your appetite for more! But, as you know, I don't read minds, so... you know what to do!


End file.
